Improvement in electric telegraphs



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. l H. G. DYAR.

Telegraph.

Patented June 3d, 1857.

Tellegraph. No. 17,673.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Patented Jurle' 30, 1857.

, portion of any UNITED STATES PA'IEIwrv OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN sLEcTmc TELEGRAPHS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No'. [7,673, dated June 30,1857.

To all who-m it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRISON GEAY Dran, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented. certain new and useful Im provements in the Art of. Communicating-Intelligence by Electricity; audl do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of my said invention, reference being had to the drawing which is here unto annexed.

The apparatus forming the, subject o t' the present invention is termed by me an electrepode-t'. e., electric-word roadand the species of language or form of communication I designate elec trep. c., electric word.

Electric telegraphs may be'divided into two classes-the copying-telegraph and the signalizing-telegraph. By the former a skeleton facsimile-ofthe message sentis made' at the opposite end ot' the line of communication. The principal telegraphs constructed upon this principle are those of Bain and Bakcwell. They are founded upon the fact that a current of electricity has the property of decomposing various chemical substances, and consequentlyv of discoloring or producing a stain upon paper prepared with such substances through which the electric current is passed. Hence if a sheet of an electric conducting material having the characters or letters of a message .written upon it in some nonconducting material or ink be connected with some source of electricity and be passed in the direction ot' the wr'iting and at a given speed beneath a style attached 'to one end of a main conducting-wire extending between tworpoints, the continuity 'of the electric current proceeding fromthe sheet of conducting material to the main conductor throughthe style will be breken as often as the non-conductingink of any written character passes bcneath the style, and it' there be a style at the opposite end ot the main conductor under which a sheet of chemically-prepared paper is passed at the same speed as the sheet of nonconducting material, the paper will be discolored in those portions which pass beneath the style while the electric current is passing, but will be left ot' its original tint at those parts which pass' tnestyle while the electric current is broken by the intervention ofthe ink of the letters of the message beneath the opposite style. It' the styles are pointed-each. will describe a line upon its respective sheet, and the first passage of a message beneath the first style will be.tollowed at the other style by the' formation on the paper of. a line of disconneetedr dashes separated by dots ot' the original tint which correspond in position with the parts of the letters of the message which passed beneath the first style. It the message and paper be passed antl rcpasscd a number of timesbeneath their respective styles, and if at each repassage the two be shifted a slight distance transversely to the direct-ion of the writing, the message will be reproduced upon the'paper in skeleton letters formed ot' dots of the original tint separated by discolored dashes.

In some cases the process has been reversed, so that the skeleton letters are formed ot' discolored d ots upon a ground of the original tint. In either case cach letter or character ot' the message requires a number ot changes ot' the electric ntluencc, or'the transn'iissiou ot' a number of `short electric currents, to give the corresponding skeleton character such aform as shall distinguish it from other characters or letters. Hence it has been customary either to pass the-message a number of times beneath one style or to pass it once beneath -a number of .styles extending in a series the height of the writing or printing. rlhis inode of telegraphiug has fallen into disuso, the reasons being, in my opinion, the great number of changes of electric connection required to render the characters distinct and the practical difficulties attending the use ot the apparatus employed.

rlhe copying-telegraph, operating,"` on the principles above mentioned, is `clearly distinguished from the' signalizing-telegraph, to which my invention has reference. in this lat'- ter class each letter, word, or syllable of a `message is represented by a distinct signal. O'lhese signals are transmittedin succession along the main conductor,-and are indicated or recorded at the place where they are received. The ditl'erent kinds of telegraphs constructed upon this principle are distinguished from each other either by the kind of signals employed or by the mode and apparatus by which the, signals arc transmitted and recorded. In

some telegraphs of this description the letterlf.

f must vbe as a y p r- 17,613

of which a message isV composed are'rep'ref sented by simple signals or single passages of the electriccurrentof different lengths, or they are represented by' compound signals formed by successiye passages of the electric current separated-by intervals; or these two modes are combined. In other telegraphs all the letters .have been represented by simple `signals or single passagesof the electric influence without regard to'their'duratiom and the diiierent significations of the-signalsare indicated by the'diierent positions which the members of .the recording apparatus occupy at the time graphed is thus limited by the manual dexmain conductor4 terity ofthe operator, and the is not employed by anyotheroperator for transmitting messages, either in the same or in the opposite direction, untilthe first operator has `suspended or inislled-his work; hence, if messages are to be transmit/ted simultaneously on the signalizin g principle', asmany operators are put towork as there are messages'tmbe simultane'ously transmitted, and as each operator requires the exclusive use of a main con,

ductorextending from station 'to station, there many main conductors as there are operatorsat work at the same time. f, The object of my intention is to enable two or more operators to be simultaneously ernplo'yed in telegraphing different 'messages'by signalizi-ng' along the same main conductorlor wireI of communicatiomla-nd to VApermitl each operator to work as fast as his manual'dexterity' will permit, so that, although many'oper- 'ators may beirequired to make muscular eil'orts or' distinct'voluntary acts to' r transmit the signals representing nianyvdilerthe necessary ent messages, either in the same orv in opp'- site directions, allthese signals will proceedV along one common Wire of communication 4or Y vmain conductor, and will be'in'dicated or recorded' at the places where they are received;

with the same distinctness and with the same speed that they would be if each operator at work atthetime 'was furnished with a distinct and exclusive main 'conducting-wire.

My invention. consists inconstru'cting .and

operatin g telegraphic apparatus in such.y manner thatthe electric current representing each.

diti rentsignal maybe traiismittd'to the main con nctor or wire ofcommuniat 'in a practicallyinstantaneousmannergp ythe form of animpulser'or pulsatlon, how lenga time is consumed `by the y operator rj making 'the muscular` lloodilymovement for the purpose, so that the successiyeim'pulises representing the' 'various signalsfrm'ingatelegraplic nie slsage will be'separated'-fby intervals'o'f timefdepend;

-nite number of instantaneous plied.

"different ing upon the dexterityof the operator, and that during these intervals'similar impulses 4representin g ditferentmessages, resulting from the muscular efforts of other` operators .employed at the same time, may be transmitted to the same main conductor, either in the same Iorvin opposite directions.

My invention is based upon the circumstance. that, practically speaking, no sensible portion,

4or at best an extremely minute portiomof the time employed inworking a signalizing-tele-V graph is consumed in imparting the electric inliuence which is Ythe agent of communication to the main conducting-wire, but that the great portion of the time expended is consumed-in the operation of making or recording the signals, during which the electric influence is unnecessarily maintained.

Hence, it' telegraphic apparatus be constructed. in such manner that the` employment of .the

electric influence is required for .butoneinstant of. time to make any required signal, one wire of' communication or main conductor' reaching between the distant places 4maybe made the instrument of transmitting, either lin the same or in opposite directions, an indefiimpulses representing different signals -in a second of time, provided thetelegraphic apparatus be constructed in suchl mannerthat` ysomany 4dilier- 1 ent impulses representing-distinctsignals-may be Vimparted` separately and in-,succession to either end of thel main conductor -jandgcorrespondingly received, distributed, andindicated or recordedat the otherendthereeffi-nun` intelligible.manner.4 y i f A i; f:-

,ThisI invention may be applied -to practice in various modes, differing .more or less in thearrangement and construction of the apparatus and in the modifications of electric action ap- It is, however, essential to my'invention,I so fai' as lmy present lexperience extends, that` a' l4 tclegraphic 'apparatus embodying Ait ,must containl a means .hywh ich the different electric impulses resultin g from the actions of operators .shall.. be f imparted `in succession to the commonmain conductor, so that theiimpuls'es resulting from the action of one ,operatorl shall alternate with those of other` operators lupon lfile sa'me conductor, and it must niame'ans by which the different lses' thus successively imparted .conductor shall be received thereandin the same succession-in e imparted-toit, andthatlliey n n edfr'm each other, so that pp p i'ated to reconstruct `the particular me gclof which it forms a part; The speed at iclif` the apparatus isfdriven should be at leax alito the sum or number ofthe muscolare which the different operators employed A nakein signalizing in a given period of time. Thus, if anA operator can make four muscularfmoyenents correspondin g with; as manyvsignals in a second of ytiiie and two operators" are pnt to work at the. same current or passage vof means, so as to move in harmony, or, in other' words, to vibrate from k to k as nearly as pos-- sible together in position and in time of vibration.

At station A is the standard-pendulum or chief station in reference to station B or other dependent telegraphic stations.

D l) are the pendulum-rods with their ballsl `or weights. o

E are the prolonged ends of the pendulumrods, which should 'be made longer in proportion than represented .in the drawings.

F are very flexible springs united tothe pro- |`dringed ends ot' the pendulum-rods.

P lt P and P S P are two grooves or pathways, so made that the springs F shall move in tnthe grooves P S P when the pendulums tithe-vibrations in moving from left to right-and shall fall into the grooves P R P when making the vibration in moving from riglt't to` left.

C C C is the main conductor1 or. wire ot' communication connecting the two telegraphic stal tions A and B together.

. L L are conductors extended in directions parallel with the pathsidescribed by the extremities of thependulums,and connected with ground-plates and ground-wires a:

At K, station A, there are metallic points'or edges, over which the spring F passes, touching the surface each vibration, which points are connected with -the conductors L, and consequently are in electric communication with w.

The groove P S P is made ot anon-conducting material, and the groove P R P at station B is of metal and in electrical communication with L and a'.

The spring F at station A, in moving in either ot' the grooves P B, P or P S P, is-kept in its path hy an insulated or non-conducting of things, whenever the spring F at station A passes over the points l K in its vibration there will be an electric communication or circuit from z to K, and thence through w tothe ground at station A; also, fromztothe metallic groove P R P at stationv B and ground there, provided the pendulum at tion B is making its vibration fromright toleft when the pendulum'at station`A carries-g its spring F over the conducting-points K. ,H and B2 at both stations areig'nal-nakef ing wires' or keys, and G" and G at both still-'4A tions are signal-receiving wires. The signab f wires are to ber supposed `as numerous in each.

set as the numbers of different signals desired to be usedsay not less than the letters of the alphabet. A smaller number is shown in the drawings for the sake-ofl disti tion. Theiny ner extremities of all the signa -receiving wires are tiattened, and reach into the grooves or pathways P S Pin such utmaunerfthatrthe.A spring F shall touch and glide over. the-flattened faces or ends of these wires in'succession` each time the pendulums inovefrom left to right. The innerextremities of: the signalmalring wires, on the contrary, stand a little eti' out of the. grooves` orfpathwaymbutfare mounted'in such manner that each may be raised by the pressure of the linger and brought .into the lineof the groove or pathway, tobe touched by the spring F when the pendulum swings from let't to right. All these signal! wires are connected at their outer ends with, the conductors L L, but are free`and independent at their inner ends. i i o The free ends of the signal-receiving wiresl may have a width of half an inch (more orless) whereF passes over them, but must not touch each other. The corresponding ends of lthe signalanaking wires should be but an edge or line, so that the signal-making wires can touched by F but for a. moment, while the sig-"- nal-receivin g wires will. be touched for a; sensible time by F in passing over them, by which arrangement the necessity of absolute syn-- chronism in the movementsof the two pendu-- lums is avoided. Under these circumstances, if any one of the signal-making wires H at stationA be moved without breaking its elec-g tric connection with L, so that the end Fof the vibrating pendulum `will-come in contact with the end ofthe wire, a conducting-circuit or electric current will be established for the mo'- ment through the whole system of conductors, for, as the pendulums are moved in harmony, A the corresponding pendulum at station B will at that moment bein front of the group of signal-receiving wires G of that station. There-f fore from the electric circuit existing for that moment of contact there would be a sparkV4 visible or anv electric pulsation upon the flattenedend of that one of'the signal-receiving wires at station B which corresponds with that one ot' the signal-making wires at the other station which may have been pressed upon andwbrought into the pathway ot' F. If, therefore, all the signal-wires in euch set are marked by and signify the dit'erentJetters ofthe alphalet, the left-hand wire of Yeach setcbeing markeda, .meinen b, next c, am., then Should a, b, orc of a signal-making group, H', station thesignal-receiving wires a, b, lor c ot group ,;G',Jsta tion B, which corresponds to that wire' fwhichmay have been so touched at station A. gflhusat will ca-n any7 signal or letter be sent from station Ato stationB and during the foperation of signal-making. by one person at .station Ato asecon'd person at s'tatin B by the-usefof one' set of wires, H', a third person at station B, or the vsame person who receives the .first message or set ot'signals from A, can telegraph. in`reply to station A by making use of the set of signalsen'ding wires H ot' station fB, in 5a v'nianner'similar to that in which the wires of station A, before described, were used. The electric pulsations thus transmitted to the vmain .conductor by the action of one operator will alternate. with those transmitted to itfby the r"action of the other operator, and if the time of a doublevibration of these pendulums is .equal tothe time necessary for conveniently 'making andobserving a signal, then bythe use oft-he'four 'setsof signal-wires abovetna'med a person may send to 0r receive signals from or between Vthe stations A and4 B reciprocally; or fourA personsmay be continually and simultan'eously employedfin making and receiving siguals'at the two stations'over a single main wire. -The pendulums, in this example combine or connect the ymain conductor with the sets l,of signal-sending and signal-receiving wires; making the circuit complete as often as asignalsendiug wirefis* placed in a position vtolmpart electricity to them, and breaking the circuit as often as such signal-sending wire is passed -in'the movement of the apparatus. 'The pendulums thus constitute circuit-making and cil-cuitbreaking apparatus, which, 'as before stated, are moved in' harmony at the two sta-A t|ons,'and combine the main conductorhwith f the sets of lsignal-sending and signalreceiving .a.pparatns.j l l ,i The use ofthe signal-wires above 'referred ,toJ as able to employ ior persons in continual telegraphic intercourse will jin no Way inter 'fere with thesimultaneous'employment vof two Q or four other operators using the other signalwireson'the righthand halt' of the vibrations markedH2 and Gf-because theelectric pulsa-v tionsresulting from the actions of the various operators at workwill'be transmitted inY succes-. M

sion-'sto they main conductor, and wilLat the sam'eftime alternate with each other, and they will be .correspondingly separated and distrib- -uted at the opposite end of the conductor, so

' that the signal of any one operator will be imparted to the main wire during theshort in.- tervals of time occupied by the other operators in making the muscular etorts which are necessary to operatetlieparticular si gnalizin g apparatus. 80, also, by lengthening out the ends of `thependulumrods orincreasng theangular motion of .the apparatus for circuit-making and circuit-breaking, orA by causing them to revolve in a horizontal circle instead of vibrating, more space or places may be had Afor carrying on a much larger number of telegraphic operations. i

At K, on the left-hand sideofthe standardpendulum, there are two, metallic points 4or .faces near together in communication 'with L,

andthe groove P R-.P at station B is a metallic or conduc'ting. groove. Bythis arrange.

ment. it can be known at station B when the- .pendulum at station A is'min motion and the positionlof its vibration 'exactly determined, so thatl the pendulumat B can be from time to time set in motion, accelerated, o r retarded, in order to maintain that degree of synchronism in the actionrof the pendulums and similarity in positions which are necessaryfor the suc-4 cess of the telegraphic operations.' When the pendulum at B 'is correctly timed in Iits motion there will be visible two sparks o n the.v

left-hand extremity and one spark on the righthand extremity of g the conducting-groove P R P at points K K.,.station B, equally distant .from .the center of vibration;l but when this .pendulum is not in its proper. position or'moltion these sparks Vwill be seen at other places along thej'groove, The pendulum. at station B. may thus be keptadjusted to the motion of from an electrical machine has, forrsimplicity,

been chosen as the visible signal;l but should it be desired to make signals by the hydroelectric current and the detlectionof a needle,

then each one of the signal-receiving wires, before unitingwith the common condnctorL, Vmay be lengthened out suiciently to form the coil of a galvanometer. 1n this case the cur-- vrent passing-through any oneo of these wires can make itself known or thesignal be indicated bythe deection of the needle of the galvanometer belonging to that particular signal-receiving wire. so signalized', or in like manner these prolonged s'gnal-receivin g wires may each one inclos'e'abar of iron in place ot" a magnetic needle,.so as tol have an electric magnet and keeper belonging to each one of these wires. Then thepassage of .the current. through any of the wires will give magnetism t6 the bar or actuate the magnet or its keeper, from which motionthes'e signals may be perl ceived or recorded or printed in any convenient form. A

In the-above-description I have 4illustrated the nature ofthe invention by showing its action in connection with two. telegraphic stations; but'A it will bebbvioi fille Bkillfulelb employed in carrying it into use.

gineer that divers stations and complex systems of telegraphic lines of coinmunicatiou can be established on the saine general principle. Moreover, in the above description I have supposed the signal to be transmitted an electric current previously proceeding continuously over a main conductor.

In the apparatus thus described the means bywhich theelectric circuit is made and broken so as to impart the electric pulsations in their proper succession to theinain cbh'ductor at one end of the line and the corresponding means by which theelectric circuit is made and broken so as to distribute the electric pulsations at the other end of the mainline and distinguish the different signalsare moved in harmony; butthese portions of the apparatus have no positive connection with'the indicating or recording apparatus, and are not Vimpeded or controlled by the latter. Hence these portions of the apparatus move on under the same constant resistance,- whethcr one or more operators are at work, and will continue to move on under the same constant resistance if permitted to move while theline is not at work. This independent operationA of the circuit making and breaking apparatuswith respect to the other accessories of the telegraph is of great l importance, as experience has proved to me that if the circuit making and breaking apparatus at either end ofthe line be retarded, even momeutai-ily, by imposing upon it any irregular work--as, for example, by connecting it with mechanism for recording'or printing the signals-the motion of the apparatus will be a'ectedrto'such a degree asto render it diicult to 'maintain theharnionious or synchronal movement at the two stations. i

In' the-apparatus hereinbefore described the movement of the circuit-making and circuit- .breaking apparatus is not stopped at the time render a signal visible to the eye orto record it. f- This portion of the inventio'ndsa newfeatnr'e in signalizing-telegraph's',y injwhich it has been customary to stop the movement' of' the circuit-making and circuit-.breaking apparatus during the indication or recording of the message.

1t will also be understood that thisinvention is susceptible of an indefinite number of modications or forms as respects the apparatus Only such,

therefore, has been indicated as may be necessary for the distinct understandngmf the characteristic quality or nature ot'. this invention whichdistinguishes it from all other electric telegraphs,

- I do not claim any particular. mofilekof -obapparatus,- whether vibratory, rotary, or oscillatory, as-they may deem -best suited tosccomplish the objects desired under the different circumstances which may arise; but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isv `1. Constructing and operating signalizing telegraphic apparatus in such.` manner that electric pulsations representing signalsresulting fronfthe actions of two or more operators at work at the same time are imparted alternately and successively to 'a singlevinaln conductor or wire of communicatioill` and received' therefrom and distributed-jin .the sauie alternating succession, whereby at single mainA conductor may be made-,the instrument-by which two or more operators cairi-beisimultaneousl y employed in sendiiigdiiereiitimessagos either in the same or in opposite directions, substantially as herein set forth.

2. Transmittin g di'erent electric signaleresulting from the actionsof two or more operators working at the time vat the same, or op-y posite ends of a single main' conductor hymeans of a single main conductor, combined with two or-more sets of corresponding signalsending and si gnal-receivin g conductors, which represent the diiferent signals iu use, and are appropriated to different operators by means of intermediate circuit-making and circuitbreaking apparatus, which are moved in harmony at the signal-sending and signal-receiving stations in such manner as to present themselves successively in all the positions re` quired to permit currents of electricity to bel passed alternately through the corresponding members otthe signal-sending and signal-receiving conductors, whereby the apparatus-ateach station can. at the same time bee'mployed v6 i l 17,673

cuit shall last but for a momenvhile the conf tact maintained atthe station where the sig-y nal is.I received shall last a longer periodso as 'to obviate the necessity of exact synchrouism in the movements of the mechanism at the two is not `impeded orcontrolled bythe ,irregularmovemeht'of other. parts of the` telegraphic apparatus. y `1 1 stations. v

4.1 Sending-andreceiving signals, as above In testimony whereoi'I have hereunto subtatll, bjl apparatus so arranged and comscribed my name.

ine Wit the main conductor that in oper- 1 n ating theimpulse that oloses'or opens the cir- W HARRISQN GRAY DYA R' itnesses: r

J. WILSON GREEN, WM. LEE BENNEM. 

